Ooh That Smell: Nissan to Attract People with New "Brand Smell" at Detroit Show

Nissan has been keeping a low profile at stateside auto shows over the past few years, but starting with next week's North American International Auto Show, the automaker will return to the limelight, but maybe not in a way you're thinking. To draw attention to their displays, automakers have used models, lasers--even explosions--but Nissan will be bringing its very own show fragrance.This new smell, one that Nissan hopes will be instantly associated with the brand (for better or for worse), is dubbed thé vert oriental, in French and smells of green tea "during Chinese spring harvest." This smell will originate from an attention-grabbing display that Nissan will debut at the Detroit auto show next week. This new display will showcase a 150-foot long "halo," which will light up and hover above. An Xbox Kinect will project onto one of the display's walls showing off new technology seen in Nissan's lineup. The display will also feature Nissan's history in automotive innovation, as well as a spot to buy Nissan-related memorabilia. Nissan hopes people enjoy the smell of green tea so much that dealers will begin requesting the scent in showrooms across the country."We're hoping our dealers will embrace it," says Erich Marx, Nissan's director for interactive and social-media marketing to Automotive News. "We'll be measuring the reception."According to Marx, a global team has been working with the scent on ways to make it appealing to the masses. They believe that if done right, the scent will boost Nissan's presence in Detroit and hopefully be the star of the show."We stepped away a few years ago," Marx said to Automotive News, referring to when Nissan skipped the 2009 show. "We're back now. We want to be the must-see booth at the show. This is an acknowledgment that auto shows are an important way to make a statement about who we are. The timing is important," he said. "We've launched five important vehicles in 15 months and we want to be able to show them off in way that does them justice."What say you? Would you be more attracted to a good smelling automaker as opposed to one with no scent at all? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.Source: Automotive News

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